The cornea is a principal refractive element in the eye; corneal transparency and corneal shape determine its optical qualities. Corneal epithelial edema, stromal edema and corneal shape anomalies can independently or collectively degrade visual performance inthe form of increased internal ligh scatter andoptical aberrations due to irregular astigmatism. The central theme of this research proposalis the refinement and application of a mathematical model that integrates the thermodynamic description of corneal epithelial, stromal and endothelial transport properties into a model of corneal hydration control. This is combined with methods to classify shape anomalies and means to assess the optical quality of the corneal surface through the analysis of corneal topography.